SINGAPORE: Singapore needs to make the legal profession sustainable, not easier, said Minister for Law Edwin Tong on Tuesday (Jul 7).
Responding to MPs’ questions for parliament about the legal profession’s sustainability, Mr Tong acknowledged the legal practice’s demanding nature while noting its deeper purpose.
“Whilst pressures such as tight timelines, clients demands and economic pressures are not unique to the practice of law, what differs is the privilege of advocating for another person,” he said in a written answer.
Many lawyers have entered the profession because they find meaning in it, and are willing to take on the responsibility and stresses that come with it, said the minister.
“The question is therefore not how to make the profession easier, but how to make it sustainable, so that those who are drawn to it for the right reasons are not driven out by the wrong ones.”
Four MPs had submitted questions related to a Law Society of Singapore (LawSoc) study, which found lawyers were leaving private practice amid toxic workplace cultures, bullying, unreasonable workloads and a profession that intrudes into their personal lives.
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